Battle 544
Battle 544 is titled "Witch" Summary Shigure is taken prisoner by Yami and is held in a room where she is isolated and her hands and feet are bound by an unknown material. Seitarō Raigō asks to make sure that she has no means of escape, stating that chains or even a piece of cloth can become a weapon in Shigure's hands. Kenichi and Miu are at the headquarters of the Shinpaku Alliance, where they notify the members that Shigure has been captured. Freya comments that the Katsujinken are at a disadvantage: apart from the Elder, her grandfather has not yet returned from his trip and is likely to be fighting somewhere. Siegfriend states that Yami's "overture" is coming to an end, which will probably lead to a sudden development. Renka thinks that the fight is getting too reckless for disciple-level fighters to be involved, but Kenichi insists that he wants to keep fighting despite the danger. Takeda, Kisara, and Miu share the same sentiment as Kenichi, whose worry about Shigure made him realize that Tochumaru has been missing since they escaped the tanker. Miu answers that Tōchūmaru escaped her grip and stayed on the ship. Tōchūmaru is seen in the Yami base where Shigure is being held, and it is overheard that the Hachiō Executioner Blade are there as well. Tōchūmaru fashions a small spear and avoids being detected, reaching the vents above Shigure's cell. A scientist from Yami is talking to Shigure and asks her to help them make weapons. He shows a blade cleanly cut in half; despite Yami's technology and skills in making weapons they have been unable to achieve the "secret of steel" that Shigure's father discovered. The scientist understands that pain would not make Shigure cooperate (she has been calling the scientist a "pervert" and a "sicko" throughout his speech) but when he threatens to harm Kenichi and Miu she grows quiet. The scientist notices a choker around Shigure's neck and rips it away, revealing needles hidden in the fabric. Shigure takes the needles in her mouth and shoots them at the scientist and his colleague, who fall unconscious because of poison in the needles. She shoots needles at the restraints on her feet and manages to break them to the surprise of the guards, who state that they were specially tempered resin. They shoot at her but she dodges and her hand restraints are freed from the floor. She grabs the broken Yami-crafted blade in her mouth and defeats the guards. A guard is about to shoot at Shigure but he is disarmed by a tiny spear thrown by Tōchūmaru, who Shigure is happy to see. Tōchūmaru uses the machine gun against the other guards (to their surprise) and Shigure charges at them, slicing their guns in half and pulling off the pins from a guard's grenades using her toes. She cuts a pipe and runs away from the explosion, causing the soldiers to exclaim Shigure is like a "witch" as she destroys the base. A guard shoots at Shigure but she is able to use the bullets to break the restraint connecting her hands and punch the guard to free her fist. She uses the stolen blade to free her other hand and asks Tōchūmaru how he found her and ties up her hair with the ribbon from Tōchūmaru's tail (which she gave him when they first met). Someone from behind Shigure asks if the mouse is indeed Tōchūmaru, and the Hachiō samurai appears carrying cloth. Shigure is suddenly seen wearing an open jacket, as Shigure recognizes him and asks how he knows Tōchūmaru's name. Characters that Appeared *Shigure Kōsaka *Seitarō Raigō *Miu Fūrinji *Kenichi Shirahama *Matsui *Haruo Niijima *Ikki Takeda *Kōzō Ukita *Kisara Nanjō *Kaname Kugatachi *Hibiki Kugenin *Chiaki Yūma *Renka Ma *Ami Fujimiya *Chisato Ayazaki *Tōchūmaru *Rin Tachibana Battle(s) * Chapter Notes Navigation Category:Chapters